This document discusses encoding and framing techniques for transmitting data over direct linked networks. It describes problems such as encoding bits onto wires or fibers, framing messages, and detecting and correcting errors. It then explains various encoding techniques like NRZ, NRZI, and 4B/5B encoding which map data bits to signal levels and address issues like baseline wander and clock recovery. 4B/5B encoding specifically inserts extra bits to break up long sequences of zeros or ones when transmitting over NRZI encoding.